Colors
by Aroeheart
Summary: Everything that happens to Adderpaw, he connects to color. This quality can be both an advantage and a disadvantage-  especially with she-cats- . When a strange force comes upon the Clans, Adderpaw might just be able to figure it out...
1. Red

CHAPTER ONE- Red

Red is a significant color in my life, as it is, identically, to many other lives. Red does not appear much in nature- perhaps it does with Twolegs; their surroundings and belongings often possess bright, iridescent colors- but when it does, it s usually accompanied by something very beautiful and precious. For example, a rose- a delicate-petaled flower with a cloying scent- is rare and fragile, most gorgeous when dyed deep red. You can have roses that are pink or orange or white, but red is the most beautiful. You cannot deny it.

Red also appears in sunrises and sunsets- daily events that we don t pay much mind to. Cats are much too busy to think about things such as the sky s rapid changes, as pretty as they are. There s constant bickering among Clans and we don t have time for that. Sunhigh is the best time for us, anyhow; nights and mornings are drowsy and can sometimes be sprinkled with battle here and there. Sun-high is a time of hot and prey-plentiful, of sweet golden sunlight and brisk leafgreen breezes. A time of romping kits, loyal apprentices, toiling warriors, and memories in the making. But the sky during that time is blue- a color that is very attractive in its way, but also very ordinary- and, therefore, not as special as the sunrises or sunsets. When this happens, the two-times-a-day dipping or rising of the great burning disc, it claws the sky with a burst of color- lavender, salmon, gold, and maybe even a little rubbing of green in between. But red is always the great finale, coming early in sunsets and late in sunrises. That s why I like sunrises- it gets red at the end. Stars ebb into the sky, and light washes over the land. Day pushes its way into the world, promising new beginnings and happy times.

So, usually, red is the color of something beautiful.

But red is also the color of blood.

Blood is abundant in the cat Clans. Oh, sure, we all have it inside our bodies pulsing and coursing through our veins. There might have been a time where we would mew casually, Blood should stay in the body where it belongs, , but in truth, after all these moons, it really isn t where it belongs. Blood spatters the grass frequently. There isn t a day that passes without some kind of bloodspill. It tears at me, but I have to go along with it, too. I hate to see that beautiful red liquid splash the ground, the very life draining away from its suitor. Blood may be a sign of anger and battle, but it s also precious. Without blood, we would be dry, dead life forms. It s one of our gifts from StarClan, this red liquid.

So why do we always waste it?


	2. Black

BLACK

The first thing in my life I remember is blackness. Its duration in my kithood lasted far longer than it did to most- unless if you were blind or had a leaf sling forever fastened around your eyelids. I can distinctly remember a warmth, and then a sudden jerk. The safe clutches around me loosened, contracted- and then that s when the cold hit. I had experienced the danger and unfairness of the world for the first time. I learned, later on, that what I had been feeling was birth. And a very messy one, at that. Four fat kits in a bundle, a lot of red blood. And a very interesting story to be told.

Muffled noises greeted my brand-new eardrums. The sounds were thick and stuffy, like a hot Greenleaf day, courtesy of my duck-fluff ears being sealed tightly against my head. They would open that first day. My eyes would open, too, but I would see almost nothing. No, I wasn t blind my sight was being interfered with. And, strangely, the interference was made by the rest of the Clan. Specifically the medicine cat.

I don t hold any grudges over that medicine cat s head, but what he did seemed stupid and still seems stupid up to this very day. After examining each kit when we were born, we all had something wrong with us. It wasn t overly awful, but we still were an erratic litter.

The oldest, my brother Cranekit, had feathery fur on his sides, just like the wings of a bird. The swirly black markings connected on his sleek white coat were offsetting. My mother Heartfur had a silver coat (that shined pink in the light), with soft, bright etchings. They were all ordinary tabby markings, though, nothing like Cranekit had. My father Vipertail was strong, with a puffed-out chest- he was a tortoiseshell, a very rare finding, as male tortoiseshells don t exist much. His black coat, blotted with tabby orange, some blobs of white, and a few gray and brown dapples, was a very remarkable one, and one of the many reasons my mother decided to become mates with him. Cranekit had a thin tail and a head that wrenched to and fro as he growled at random things- a floating piece of fluff; a passerby cricket. His green eyes glowed like two fragments of emerald on each side of his face, and they were one of his best qualities. Other good qualities included his unusual coat, along with his legs, which looked like he d been wading through a pool of blackness. The real problem was this- Cranekit could attach himself to almost anything. Those little claws of his were amazing, as we learned when he performed the feat of climbing up the stone nursery walls.

My sister Lynxkit also had acquired an abnormal pelt-it was bright orange, like a tiger lily. Orange cats have green eyes. But not Lynxkit. She surprised every cat with her two baby blues. Her paws and tail-tip dipped in white, she lurked around the nursery, able to squeeze her slender body through any space. She refused to drink my mother s milk, and spent most of the day curled up sleeping. But at nighttime she d wake everybody up with her shrill, catty mews, and then she d raid a mouse from the woods and chew on it with her early-grown teeth. She was like a fox, and even some of the warriors steered clear of her, as if they were suspicious of her species. But I liked Lynxkit, as she was brave and daring. I looked up to her, even when I wasn?t able to see. I knew who she was; her identity- and that was what mattered.

The last brother before me was Foxkit. His coat was not red, like Lynxkit, but a frigid gray-silver like my mother?s. It might?ve made more sense to anyone around to name him something more appropriate like Icekit or Hailkit, but Heartfur saw his tactics right away. He had yellow eyes like full moons, and his personality sort of matched up with them. He was as sneaky as his name. He would always charm the queens with his ways, but he was faking it all- he was anything but charming. He was mischievous, just looking for trouble. At night, when his only company was Lynxkit, he?d sneak out. Doing unknown things. Only Heartfur and I knew he did this; I would arouse in the middle of the night to hear his paws against the stone and smell his excitement.

And then came me, the youngest of the litter. I was named Adderkit, in hopes the courageous-sounding name would automatically make me less of a weakling. I wasn?t necessarily a runt, but I was smaller than the others. But at least I had one thing to be proud of- my coat, a replica of Vipertail?s. It was my eyes that caused a ruckus, or, actually, my eye. I only saw light for a few moments. My right eye was orange, like a drop of honey-amber. It was perfectly normal. But my other eye was discolored- violet. I could see out of it, but what the medicine cat thought (his name is Swanwing, and he?s not even close to as elegant as it sounds) is that it was sensitive and couldn?t have any light shined into it. As soon as that happened, he ordered I be shut away into darkness until my eyes ?adjusted?which never did happen, anyway. Those few moments of light faded from my memory. A small kit-sized den made of leaves and moss was made for me. I never left it. Only my mother could enter so she could nurse me. I was allowed to come out at night, and then there wasn?t much light. Swanwing would come to check my eyes every day, but my violet iris stayed violet and eventually he gave up. It was a stupid technique to begin with?any cat would tell you that?but it was important to me. I remember that time as the beginning of my family?s outcast from the Clan. I had made it even worse for them. The little kit who was shut away because he had an abnormal eye. I had ruined my family?s reputation. And, theoretically, even after my release from the useless treatment, there was still much more darkness to come.

I think that time is also important because it made me love color. I loved it so much- I valued it. My mother used to take us all on walks, and I would bounce around in pure exhilaration, squealing about the sky was such an impeccable blue or how the grass was so green that day. My littermates would stare at me as if I were crazy. It was pretty much true- I wasn?t an example of normality. But I would ignore their stares. They didn?t appreciate color, and that was not my problem. They hadn?t been shut away in blackness at the start of their lives. They didn?t know what it was like- I had been deprived of color.

While other kits marveled over Clan history and hunting, I became absorbed in very uncatly things. I think my mother was worried for me. I once came across a dead cricket. I began to dismantle it and animatedly discussed all the parts, and how I?d once seen a cricket rub its legs against it wings. I babbled on about how it was strange that such a tiny creature could make such a big, musical sound. All the while, Heartfur blinked at me with total concern. Probably thinking, what is wrong with this kit?

It didn?t take long for the rest of the Clan to realize that we were a bizarre family. My mother was very faint and stressed those days? one apprentice mentioned her, saying she couldn?t handle such weird kits. And my father was no better?he was very conceited, and he walked with his chest puffed out and often broke into heartfelt speeches about the importance of the Clans. I once saw him launching a dramatic one about how an ordinary mouse could be filled with so much sustain and flavor. And what about their four kits? We were scarring ourselves.

Darkness was upon us. It wasn?t exactly hate, but it was negativity and that was enough. I didn?t know that it wasn?t going to stop there?there was much more we?d have to go through. A different kind of darkness, one of significance, was looming overhead?

Agh. Have you ever noticed how traveling across the country messes up your sleep schedule?


	3. Gray

GRAY

Even though I don't like darkness, I came to enjoy blackness. Sleek black crow feathers. The dark silhouette of trees on a bright moon. They were all nice to look at, but here's one thing I don't like- gray. I have always disliked gray.

Silver is fine. It's glossy and has some luster to it, but gray doesn't. The color of rocks, or cloudy days. It's gloomy. It always makes me feel like- like less. Emptier. On cloudy days, I feel heavier. All my problems crash down on me. I realize the bad things- all of them, everything.

Kithood days were good. Even though we stood out, we could put it aside. We had our own lives to think about. Especially me. I was a deep thinker, and I still am, but sometimes I ponder for too long, or too hard. I overthink stuff. I once started thinking about why we can breathe if there's nothing there, and I got so into it I missed breakfast, which happened to be fresh rabbit (our milk days were over, and our teeth sharpened drastically). I try not to do it. Every time I fail to prevent it. There are some things I just can't avoid thinking about.

My fluffy kit coat was not losing any of its fluff. While my brothers and sisters grew, their coats becoming sleek and mature, I stayed the round ball of fur I was. I didn't mind being small was convenient. I could often walk past unnoticed by others and go on with my day without being bothered. I actually was troublesome, but I was without knowing it. I would pad into the woods without much thought. I knew every predator there was- fox, badger, dog, hawk-but I didn't care. There were things to be discovered. New colors to be gazed upon.

It was a particularly nice day. The sun was shining, but not so much that the warmth was overpowering, and animals of all kinds were out and about. I could smell them even from the nursery. I think this was because not being able to see early on had sharpened my other senses, and my hearing especially. I loved hearing the sound of sparrows chirping on the morning (something I'm not too proud of- cats should eat birds, not listen to their chirping) and the sound of the river running along lazily, sloshing and frothing. But something was about to happen, something that was going to change my outlook on things for the rest of my life.

The leader of our Clan, the striking Eaglestar, was in her den, mewing with the deputy. The warriors were all either patrolling or eating their breakfasts, so us kits were left in peace. Besides us, there were other kits in the den- two of who I liked very much. Leopardwhisker's kits, Splotchkit (a white tom with black spots) and Gleamkit (a tabby she-kit with white paws and mystic blue eyes I often found myself staring at), were very pleasant to be around. Kits are forgiving, and most of the kits in the nursery didn't mind our strangeness. Besides the occasional sideways glance, we got along with everybody. Splotchkit and Gleamkit were my best friends in those days. Splotchkit, Gleamkit, my sisters and brothers and I would frolic 'til the sun went down, and I wouldn't have changed it if I could. Things were becoming better for me. I thought I might fit in a little more that now I had friends.

On this perfect day, Foxkit and Cranekit were off doing tomkittish things, while Lynxkit, Splotchkit, and Gleamkit stayed with me. Curiosity got the best of us pretty quickly. We grew bored of the nursery- same old stone walls, same old moss fronds. When the queens weren't looking, we romped out of the den into the woods. The forest was an open space full of possibilities. There were some places I hadn't nosed through yet, and I wanted to show them how much I knew. I had become a bit boastful and I liked to show off, even if others didn't appreciate my wisdom. I, meanwhile, stared at Gleamkit's eyes. Her eyes captivated me- they were a beautiful cerulean blue, not like the cloudy stone blue most kits have.

We crunched through the leaves, which were still left over from last leaf-fall. Lynxkit was talking to Splotchkit about how mice tasted better at night, when the air was cold- and I was walking alongside Gleamkit. I wished more than ever I had a sleek pelt instead of my pitiful duck-fluff. It was no longer cute- I was steadily growing, and duck-fluff looked awkward on me. Gleamkit wouldn't be impressed with me long if I didn't have a majestic pelt. I hoped I would look like my father when I grew up- big strong, ruffle-chested, with broad shoulders, wide ears, and sharp eyes. My features were the opposite of that currently. I was small, weak, my fur looked equally fluffy everywhere, my shoulders were scrunched, my ears were narrow and round-tipped, and my eyes were big and innocent. Not tomly at all. I hoped it was just a stage I was going through.

The smell of acorns hit my nose, and oaks towered above us. We had walked so far, we'd reached Fourtrees! ...Or so I thought. It was actually just a couple of regular oaks. They seemed gigantic to tiny kits like us. Excited, we all split up and began to circle the trees in different directions. I shouldn't have- when I got distracted, I often didn?t snap out of it until damage had been done. I caught sight of something twitching, gray-brown, and furry. A squirrel's tail flagged in front of my face. I watched the creature sniff around on the ground, its movements sudden and jerky, its paws incredibly puny. It made me feel better about being small. I watched it for a while, tracking it without being discovered, until it climbed up a tree and began to chew calmly on a nut. I sat there at the trunk of the tree with my tail curled around my paws for who knows how long- and then I snapped out of it. I remembered the others, and I turned around in a panic. How long had it been since I'd wandered off? I tasted the air- it was sunhigh. The sun was beginning to trail to the left. I had been gone for far too long. I began to scramble through the woods. Scents hit my nose, unfamiliar scents, scary scents- but I didn't pause long enough to detect what they were. I came across the oaks again, but everybody was gone. Pawprints were everywhere. I could smell suspense. I didn't like the feeling.

Turning tail, I darted through the woods, dodging trees, when I heard a rustle in the bushes. I saw a red flash, and Lynxkit emerged, looking as scared as I was. She had a leaf sticking to her tail, and she shook it off. She blinked at me with her icy blue eyes.

"Where is everybody?" she asked, her voice timid. "I smell something strange."

I nodded. "Let's go back," I mewed. Without thinking, we turned in the direction we had first entered and got back into the nursery as swiftly as possible, slinking back into the crook of our sleeping mother's side.

It was late sunhigh before there was any more stirring. Pawsteps outside awoke me. The sleep came away from my eyes, and I saw a black-and-white-splotched kit, brambles entangled in his fur. Splotchkit was breathing heavily and looked confused- if not scared- as he slipped silently into the nursery. He dropped at my side, shivering.

I was alarmed- Splotchkit was always happy, not like this. I nudged him comfortingly. "What happened?"

He shut his eyes tightly, his whiskers drooping. "N-nothing. I got lost." He took a trembly breath. "It was real scary."

He didn't talk any more after that, so I left him alone. After a while his breathing slowed in the even cycle of sleep. I wondered where Gleamkit was.

I shut my eyes, colorful swirls appearing after a while. They seemed to press over me and whiff through my fur, soaking each individual strand with color. Something smelled like berries, and another smelled like juicy rabbit. I had only tasted rabbit once before and it was soft and tender.

When I opened them again, my vision was blurry from my dreams. Something didn't seem right. All the kits were at one side of the den, and there were many cats collected outside camp. I usually steered clear of that kind of stuff- I didn't like big crowds- but there was nervous, despaired mewing all around. The mews seemed to draw me. I left my mother's sleeping side and pushed my way through the crowd, wedging myself through paws and legs. Eaglestar was in the middle of the cats, her yellow eyes glittering. But they lacked their usually firmness, and were watery instead.

My attention flicked to a brown warrior who was withdrawing from the forest. His green eyes were wide.

"Foxes in the forest," he mewed. That was all I needed. I dashed towards the woods, fear filling up my heart. I didn't care that I might get killed- all that mattered was that I had to get there in time…

I smelled blood. Rich and dark. Suddenly the smell turned to feeling. It was everywhere. Splashing my paws, all over the trees, staining the ground with its bright, bright redness. It all happened so fast. Someone had followed me- the deputy, Hawkclaw…and was sticking close. I followed the blood, wading through it. My paws were soon red. The body was just ahead. I could see its tabby markings from where I was. I stepped up to the body, examining it.

Gleamkit's side was torn open, her ribs glistening white through the ocean of blood. Her liver had been ripped out and lolled to the side. Her beautiful face, her beautiful eyes, had been chewed unrecognizable on one side by long, sharp teeth. I swayed, feeling faint.

"She's dead," Hawkclaw said.

As he spoke, the sun slowly faded from the sky- clouds had rolled in when I was asleep. Rain began to fall, mixing in with the blood that stained the ground.

**I'm sorry about the glitches from before. My computer's being dumb. **


	4. Green

GREEN

LYNXKIT'S POV:

Last night, there was a disturbance in the air. I couldn't tell what it was at first, but it felt like a bunch of tiny ice-crystals poking into my fur. I tried to shake it off and be brave- it's my job to be brave, since I'm the oldest and only sister in my family- but I couldn't. It's usually easy to be brave, because everybody praises you and tells you how much courage you have. But not today. Even the queens looked scared, wrapping their tails around their kits and drawing them close. I must've looked as frightened as everybody else even though I was trying to put on my brave face, because Heartfur drew me close, too. It makes me look bad, I bet- everybody thinks I should be prim and petty because I'm the only she-cat in my litter. Well, they're wrong. I am probably the strongest, boldest, most brazen she-kit in all the Clans! I'd prove them wrong, one day. But not today…

A cluster of cats was outside. There were some desolate mews that hurt my eardrums, but I kept listening. I sniffed the air; I tasted it. Something was tingeing the air- familiar, but unfamiliar at the same time. It smelled like death, and I know this because I've smelled dead prey plenty of times. But this was a different kind of death- one that was sure to arise emotion in everyone.

Heartfur made me go to sleep. It was sunset, which is typically when I get my boost of energy, but I'd been exploring the forest all day and I hadn't gotten one wink of sleep. So I obeyed, mostly because I was frightened and didn't want to smell that death smell anymore. But before I slept, I counted all the kits in the nursery. There was Foxkit, and Cranekit and Adderkit…Splotchkit was there, too…Gingerkit, Daisykit. Hmm…there was someone missing. Oh…Gleamkit wasn't there. Was she still in the forest? I wondered if she was scared. Gleamkit's kinda soft to me, almost like a kittypet. She _would_ be scared. But that's not my problem, is it? Gleamkit can get out of the forest by herself.

It didn't take me long to go to sleep. There was eerie darkness for a while, and then I woke up. It was dark outside. I thought everything would be better when I woke up, but it wasn't. The cluster of cats outside had spread out, and everybody looked sad or uptight. I could see whitish tan tabby fur all in a bundle. And red, red, everywhere. My muscles wouldn't budge. I could tell that was Gleamkit, but she didn't look right at all. She looked like a piece of prey someone might eat…gobble up and chew. Crunch all the bones. In the background, Leopardwhisker was crying. Her mews were fiercely hollow.

I knew now what that death-smell was. But I didn't want to think about it. In her last moments, I'd done nothing but insult Gleamkit. I was a horrible cat. I didn't even care about being brave anymore. I just wished everything would be all right again, that the weird uptight feelings would go away.

Just as I was about to drift off, I heard tiny pinky paws. I opened my eyes and my fluffball of a brother Adderkit was looking straight at me. His eyes, orange and violet, looked dull.

"Gleamkit's dead," he mewed. His voice sounded so vulnerable, I almost felt sympathetic. But I didn't want to turn soft. So I pushed the feelings away.

Instead, I mewed back, "I know. I can see her body from over here." I turned over and tried to go to sleep, but Adderkit wasn't done. He put his paws on my side.

"You're not…sad?" he mewled. I swear, the little tomkit sounded genuinely heartbroken. He's such a mouse sometimes!

I snorted. "'Course I am. But that's just the way it is. We shouldn't of gone into the forest. It's our fault." I flicked my tail-tip over his nose, and he sniffled.

"I miss her," he cried. He began to whimper. Jeez! How could he be so open about his feelings? He was supposed to be brave- he was a tom, but instead I, the she-kit, was the one comforting him. What's wrong with this family? We're such total mousebrains.

I breathed hard through my nose. I cuffed him playfully over the ear. "Okay, okay. I know. I miss her too." I lifted up his chin with my paw. "But if you really do miss her, you should be out there, not in here. Respecting her body."

He blinked in confusion, but then his eyes cleared. He wrinkled his nose. "How do you respect a body?" he mewed. "Is it like… what wolves do when their leader dies? They sit around it and howl…" He started rambling.

That brother of mine is so weird sometimes.

* * *

><p><span>ADDERKIT'S POV<span>

Gleamkit died today. Some foxes got at her. It's all our fault…(that's what Lynxkit said)…because we were out in the forest and we weren't supposed to. Me and Lynxkit are going to go respect her body, but I'm scared. I don't want to look at her body again. It's all ripped up, and her liver and ribs and stomach are poking out; you can see them. It's so weird to see her organs, and it makes me really sad. Why did Gleamkit have to die? She was my friend. I thought StarClan was supposed to be nice, but they took my best friend away from me.

We're outside now, and it's dark. The sky is black, black, black, sprinkled with little white dots of stars. That's StarClan up there, in that long pelt of twinkly stars. SilverPelt. I do have to admit- even though they took away my friend, StarClan sure are pretty.

The moon is overhead, a round white disc with silvery spots. It shines half-full in the center of SilverPelt, casting milky light down on us. Down there, there's a bunch of cats. Leopardwhisker, her spotty pelt standing out in the middle of everyone, is there, too. I can see Gleamkit's body from here. All the blood has been washed off, and her pelt is clean and shiny. The big rip on her side has been closed up mostly, and the skin and fur is smoothed down. It's clotted with a bunch of gossamer, shiny cobwebs. The color compliments her fur. I always liked the color of her fur.

Her face, too, has been cleaned and smoothed down. A thin layer of cobwebs masks the side that got chewed by fox teeth. She looks beautiful, almost like an angel. And very peaceful, too. Much happier than she did before.

Leopardwhisker has picked a rose – pale pink – and places it between Gleamkit's paws. All the thorns have been picked off so they don't prick her. I get closer. Everything smells damp, sweet, and grassy.

I think that I'm changed today. I used to be goofy and carefree, but no more. None of that stuff matters anymore. None of the stuff that I used to be interested in seems important anymore. My personality has changed forever.

Gleamkit's body has been placed on long strands of sea-green grass. Dewdrops spot it, and as she presses it down it looks like a bird's nest.

I think her body looks nice on the greenness. No other color would look better.

**Blah. **


End file.
